Shearer, eh?

It comes as a bit of a shock to hear that the voice of Ned Flanders, Montgomery Burns and Principal Skinner is poised to leave—or be booted from—The Simpsons. But there were several reports last week that Harry Shearer, the voice behind those three characters and others, was at the exit door. And that the show was going to continue, with new voices behind the characters.

When a show has had as long a run as The Simpsons, at some point there is going to have to be a change in the human factor. They had the same challenge in providing an actor to play James Bond, and survived the loss of such smirking master marksmen as Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan. In the Bond series, of course, the whole plot of the movie is so ridiculous that a change in the central character doesn’t need much justification.

This wouldn’t be the first time that the voice of a non-human character has changed either. After Muppet creator Jim Henson died, the voices of Kermit the Frog, Ernie, the Swedish Chef, Rowlf and other characters were passed on to other puppeteers. Those who were listening could hear the difference. But generally, the Muppet characters survived the change in their human voices.

All the same, it seems a stretch to think that any other voice could master the antiquarian venom behind the perennial exchange:

Burns: “Smithers, who is that blithering idiot?”

Smithers: “Homer Simpson, sir”

Burns: “Simpson, eh?”

So familiar is my household with the voice of Harry Shearer—no family get-together would be complete without a Burns, Flanders or Skinner takeoff—we feel a little cheated that the voice could be changed without our approval. I’m sure Shearer himself knows this, to his advantage; and I feel (a bit) sorry for any well paid voice-actor who attempts to step into his shoes. Maybe, as I am not the first to say, it might be better for all if the show closed its run. After all, the risk is that with a new voice, Mr. Burns will become a caricature of himself— which is a quite something, considering he was a cartoon character to begin with.

This dilemma got me to thinking about the importance voice has to our impressions of a person’s character. There is plenty of psychology to consult. An article in the Wall Street Journal, for example, reported on a study that concluded the sound of a speaker’s voice is the most important factor determining how he or she is perceived by listeners, and more than twice as influential as the content of the presentation. Psychology Today reports on a study in which recorded speeches were deliberately alterered so as to be only partially intelligible. The result: no difference in the listener’s perception of the speaker, because the listener’s reaction was determined by other factors that had nothing to do with the articulation of every word.

That then takes us to the question of whether a person can alter her voice and thereby enhance the listener’s perception of her. Enter, as Exhibit A, one Margaret Thatcher. The former British prime minister, at the start of her leaderhip career, had a voice that was uncharitably described by one adviser as schoolmarmish, bossy and hectoring, and by another as registering high notes that were dangerous to passing sparrows. Thatcher took deliberate steps to lower the pitch of her voice. And they say it worked.

Could any of our political leaders benefit from voice enhancement? Well, Rich Little used to do wonderful impressions of John Diefenbaker and Lester Pearson. Preston Manning used to evoke impersonations of his falsetto skip-up the pronunciation of “the Re-form Party of Canada.” As for Stephen Harper, can’t you just tell in listening to him when he has that ‘I don’t know why I have to bother explaining it to you people when I’ve got better things to do’ tone to his voice? Surely that could be improved upon with vocal training. I am not sure, however, that I wish Harper any success in that pursuit: I have resolved that from now on I’m going to pretend I’m listening to Bugs Bunny’s voice come out of Harper’s mouth. Both seem rather too pleased with themselves.

Having brought in Harper, I should include Thomas Mulcair and Justin Trudeau. In Question Period, Mulcair mauls Harper like a bear, but he needs to show a friendly side as well. How about picturing him as Baloo, from The Jungle Book? Every time I listen to him from now on, I’m going to hear the goofy voice that sang The Bare Necessities. Trudeau is trying to shake the perception that he is a softie, so what better cartoon character to imagine speaking through him than Popeye the Sailor Man? Neither is afraid of talking tough—or of showing off his torso.

All this political stuff takes us some distance from Harry Shearer’s imminent arrival on the unemployment line. Let’s just end by saying that we’re all rooting for the standoff to be resolved. Okely dokely?

dsimmonds@wellingtontimes.ca